Posts Tagged ‘fun activities with dogs’

For the past few years, I have been on the cusp of being overweight (per Wii). So, just before the holidays when my jeans started getting a little snug, I started trying to lose weight again. I don’t do it by dieting. I do it by exercising more and by eliminating refined carbs and sweets. Maya & Pierson are not overweight, but they are active dogs so have been helping me get more exercise in a fun way. Here are some things we do to stay fit.

Fast-Paced Walk
I walk the dogs almost every day… okay, at least five times a week. Before, the walks were just leisurely. It was exercise but I needed more. So I increased my pace and my distance. The dogs love the faster way of walking. Incidentally, they’ve also stopped pulling on the leash as much. 😉

Outdoor Games
We love to play chase. I don’t just let my dogs chase me. I chase them too. And sometimes they chase each other. This is a very tiring activity but I love it. I’ve also been trying to get Pierson into playing kick ball. I’ve been trying since last year when I bought that big blue rubber ball, but he is still scared of it. Chicken boy. Maya likes the game but she won’t play it if Pierson is out there because he starts chasing her. Something I want to do but haven’t done yet, is set up an obstacle course that both me and the dogs can do… sort of like an agility course.

Indoor Games
For some odd reason, my dogs love it when I start stretching. They have to be right there in front of me. So simple toe touches turn into ‘bend down to kiss the doggies on the nose’. Since my dogs love to play tug-of-war, sometimes I will have them help me with my stretches by pulling the toy while I am in a stretch position. We also play hide and seek in the house. This is not really a vigorous exercise, but it is something. We also wrestle. And just playing with the dogs in general is good because I am not sitting and doing nothing. Here is a fun game my dogs love to play.

These are the activities that we do. Other activities you can do with your dog include biking, running, and when the weather warms, swimming. Are there any other fun activities you do with your dogs that gets you to exercise too? I need more ideas!